Outdoor grilling is a popular way to cook food. Most large grills for use in outdoor cooking include a firebox mounted on a moveable cart. Such carts generally have the firebox located centrally on top of the cart, and they may include one or more shelves below the firebox, a door or doors at the front of the cart, and side panels to at least partially enclose the cart on the sides. Such carts may also include a side shelf on one or both sides positioned approximate the level of the cooking surface. Such carts are typically designed to elevate and support the cooking surface and side shelves at approximately the waist level of an adult. The cart frame typically includes wheels on at least one side so that the grill may be rolled to a convenient location.
Grills are typically distributed to retail stores for purchase by consumers in an unassembled state in cartons. This is because the assembled grill may be several feet tall and several feet wide. Consequently, an assembled grill would normally require a relatively large shipping container, a relatively large amount of warehouse space, and a relatively large amount of retail floor space. The grill's large size can pose a problem for manufacturers transporting the product, and for retailers storing the product, in an assembled condition.
By shipping the grills from the manufacturer to the retailer in an unassembled state, the manufacturer can reduce the size of the shipping container and the retailer can stock more of the product. Since more units may be transported in each shipment, and more units may be kept in the retailer's inventory, this saves money and space.
Retailers often offer to assemble the grill for the consumer for free or for a nominal fee, using the retailer's own employees or an outside service. The cost of assembling a grill for the customer takes away from the retailer's profit on the sale of the grill. Included in the cost is the time needed to train an employee to assemble the grill, and the time needed for the employee to assemble the grill, or the amount paid to the outside service. The more complex the assembly, the longer it takes to train the employee, and the longer it takes the employee, or the outside service, as the case may be, to assemble the product. This translates into higher cost for the retailer.
Additionally, some consumers prefer to assemble the grill themselves. Unfortunately, assembling a grill can be a time-consuming and frustrating exercise, especially if it requires the efforts of multiple people. If the grill is too complicated to be easily assembled by the consumer, then the consumer may refrain from purchasing it. Also, a complex assembly can result in a frustrated customer, leading to reduced customer satisfaction with the product and a loss of repeat business for the manufacturer or retailer.
Accordingly, there is a need for a grill configured for quick assembly that does not suffer from the problems described above. More particularly, there is a need for a grill that can be shipped in a substantially unassembled state and then quickly assembled in the store or at a customer's residence so as to minimize the shipping cost of the unassembled unit and the labor cost related to the assembly. There is also a need for a grill assembly method that reduces the complexity and burden of grill assembly. The present invention satisfies these and other needs, and provides further related advantages.